District 65 one of 82 to earn the Bright Red Apple Award

Evanston/Skokie School District 65 received the 2001 Bright Red Apple Award this month.

D65 was one of 82 school districts out of a total of 894 districts in Illinois – less than 10 percent – to be honored.

The criteria for the award were overall academic performance, student-teacher ratio, expenditure per student, average educational level attained by teachers and average teacher salary.

The award was given by SchoolSearch, an organization based in Kansas City, Mo., that provides school data to the home construction industry, real estate agents and various school districts.

School board member Greg Klaiber said the award, which the district receives nearly every year, shows that D65 is doing quite well in educating its students.

“It’s a recognition of the many resources we provide to our students and our teachers,” Klaiber said. “We’re doing many of the right things.”

D65 consistently scores above state averages on standardized tests, most recently on the Illinois Standards Achievement Test. But the district faces a continuing minority achievement gap between many black and Latino students and their white peers.

The overall student-teacher ratio for the district is 14.8 to 1, compared with the state average of 19.3 to 1. D65 also exceeds the average in per-student spending, at $9,639. The state average is $6,682 per student.

Finally, about 64 percent of D65 teachers have earned master’s degrees, compared to 46 percent of the state’s public school teachers. The district’s average teacher salary is $55,141, while the state average is $47,914.

Though the award is based on statistical data, D65 administrators still consider it important, said Michelle Parke, a D65 communication specialist.

“The district views this as a great honor to be recognized,” Parke said. “It’s not taken lightly.”